Meghan Markle and Prince Harry turn to top Silicon Valley PR to boost their image
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry turn to Silicon Valley’s top PR to boost their image after dumping New York public relations experts
- The Sussexes’ ventures are now handled ‘in house’ with a Silicon Valley PR
- Christine Weil Schirmer, 42, has been working for Meghan and Harry since 2020
- Ms. Schirmer, of Long Island, New York, became Senior Advisor in July 2021
- She has previously been described as one of the ‘best and brightest out there’
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have turned to top PR in Silicon Valley to boost their image after leaving New York-based Sunshine Sachs.
The Duke and Duchess’s ventures will now be handled ‘in-house’ at their Archewell charitable foundation, with Christine Weil Schirmer at the helm.
Ms Schirmer, 42, was Harry and Meghan’s Head of Communications from October 2020 to July 2021, when she became Senior Advisor.
She has been leading Sussexes’ global PR team since 2020 and helped launch the Archewell Foundation.
The married mother of one has previously worked for tech giants Pinterest and Apple.
The Duke and Duchess’s ventures will now be handled ‘in-house’ at their Archewell charitable foundation, with Christine Weil Schirmer (pictured) at the helm
Mrs. Schirmer grew up in Long Island, New York, to parents Christine and Ken, both librarians.
She graduated from the same college as Meghan, Northwestern in Illinois.
The top PR attended college between 1996 and 2000 and graduated with a degree in journalism.
The Duchess of Sussex has previously spoken of her time at the university where they both studied, where she majored in theater and international studies.
The Silicon Valley PR guru had moved to San Francisco after her upbringing in Long Island, where her career took off.
Ms Schirmer, 42, was Harry and Meghan’s Head of Communications from October 2020 to July 2021, when she became Senior Advisor
Previously, a publicist known to Ms Schirmer had called her the ‘real deal’ and said she was widely respected in the industry as ‘one of the best and brightest out there’, according to The Mail on Sunday.
Toya Holness, who was appointed ‘global press secretary’ for the Sussexes in March 2021, is said to have left in March this year.
Meghan was advised by Sunshine Sachs, the New York-based PR firm she ditched, since her days as an actress in the legal drama Suits.
“This is a really big problem for Meghan,” a source said Richard Eden of The Daily Mail. “She believes she shouldn’t have to pay an outside company much more to do PR for her and Harry.”
Toya Holness, who was appointed ‘global press secretary’ for the Sussexes in March 2021, is said to have left in March this year.
Sunshine Sachs partner Keleigh Thomas Morgan had helped establish the Susseses in California, sharing contacts and her powerful network of celebrity friends and advisors.
A source with knowledge of the PR firm’s relationship with Harry and Meghan said that when Sunshine Sachs started working with them, it had always been intended to be temporary until a full-time in-house team was established.
The source also claimed that Sunshine Sachs had worked with the pair to ensure a smooth transition to a purely internal team and that all parties were on good terms and still work together from time to time.